Dilsukhnagar, where the blasts occurred Thursday, is a busy residential, commercial and educational hub of Hyderabad where the twin blasts occurred on Thursday.

It is home to a population of nearly 20 lakh, hailing mostly from the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh. It is located on the Mumbai highway, 15 km from the heart of Hyderabad.

Dilsukhnagar is often referred to as mini-Andhra, just as Kukatpally, on the other side of the city, is known as for its migrant population. There are hundreds of computer, software and hardware institutes, and civil services coaching centres in the area.

The Dilsukhnagar bus stop is one of the biggest and busiest in the city, connecting to all areas of Hyderabad, IT city and towns on the outskirts in Ranga Reddy and Medak districts. All state transport and private buses for the coastal districts pass through Dilsukhnagar.

The famous Sai Baba temple is located close to the bus stop. The fruit and vegetable market as well as the “rythu bazar” (farmers’ market) in Dilsukhnagar is one of the biggest in the state.

A few years ago, Dilsukhnagar was an enclave on the outskirts of the city, developed by real estate developers and builders of Vijayawada using the agriculture surplus riches from Krishna, East and West Godavari and Guntur district. It was then merged into the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.

Some of the biggest shopping malls of Hyderabad are on the Dilsukhnagar main road, which is also known as NH 9 Mumbai highway. Famous educational institutions like Narayana IIT Academy, FIIT JEE and St Thomas High School are also located in Dilsukhnagar.